Math Spotlight

Focus and Be Patient to Succeed

We interviewed some math teachers to see what they thought about math. Ms. Henry was asked why she enjoys math. “I enjoy math because of how it helps me think critically and problem solve. I enjoy a mathematical challenge, but also enjoy using math to accomplish tasks in my everyday life.” This shows that she enjoys math, she enjoys the challenges it makes you solve, and she also enjoys thinking critically. Many people dislike math because of the critical thinking part and because when they get confused, it frustrates them. This interview can teach us that a good way to enjoy math is to think critically and focus.

Persevere and Put in the Effort to be Triumphant

Next Mrs. Thomas, another 6th grade math teacher was asked if she always enjoyed math. Mrs. Thomas replied, “No. As a math student when I was younger and in college, I often felt incredibly frustrated when I did not understand concepts.” This shows that even math teachers got frustrated when the math was difficult. This also shows that if you persevere through difficult concepts and topics, you can learn to love and appreciate math.

We also asked a seventh and eighth grade math teacher, Mrs. Hebel, if she’d always enjoyed math. “As far as I can remember, I have always enjoyed math. It is a subject that always made sense to me and I liked that there was a right and wrong answer, but different ways to approach problems. Certain math subject areas are my favorites, but I have always loved the subject.” Here, Mrs. Hebel is a perfect example of someone who has always enjoyed math. Some people have always enjoyed math because it has always been easy for them. Not everyone is like this and most people have to struggle and persevere through math. Once you understand and learn to appreciate math, it becomes much easier and much more fun, but like everything, it requires time, effort, and patience to happen. You won't improve overnight.

Math History

Did you know that math has been around since writing? It was used to keep track of many things. When the Sumerians created cuneiform, they used math to keep track of how many crops they had, and many other things. Math is still used like that today! Math is a part of daily society. You use math to pay for things, to keep track of time, and to do anything. Overall math is important for your life.

Why Math is Underrated

Math is very underrated and disliked for unjust reasons. Kids usually say that math stinks, and it's hard, but in the future, they learn that math is actually very fun and interesting--along with being necessary. Math can be annoying especially when you're forced to do bar models and some teachers don't even enjoy using them. “ I really like to use models when working with math concepts, but not just bar models,” said sixth grade math teacher Ms. Henry. Math can be very fun. You just have to look past the useless and unhelpful work and see the beauty in math.

It All Adds Up!

Math gets more fun once you realize it is also useful for everyone in life. So next time you are in math class, think about how you will use what you’re doing when you grow up.

Math Club

Now that you’ve heard from experts how math is great, how can you do it yourself? Lucky for you, our school has its very own math club run by Mrs. Heller, and Ms. Henry! There are two different groups. One is for the completions like the AMC 8, and the Math Counts competition. The other group is a more non-competitive group that focuses on having fun and getting better at math. The AMC 8 took place on November 10th and the Math Counts competition will happen shortly.